Shoe fastening device



June 7, 1932. R. BOULET ET AL 1,862,047

SHOE FASTENING DEVICE Filed July 8, 1950 Jivif i l/zzam/Z 500257:

A iiorney Patented June 7, 1932 UNETED flTATES arnar ent ies ROBERT L.BOULET, OF SCRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA, AND WILLIAIM E. BOULET, OF CANTON,NEW YORK SHOE rnsrnnme DEVICE Application filed. J'uIy 8,

This invention relates to improvements in shoe fastening means.

The primary object of the invention resides in a shoe fastening deviceto take the place of the usual shoe laces, and which relieves thepressure placed upon the instep of a foot caused by tight lacing.

Another object is to provide a shoe fastening device which includes aflexible elastic strip or tongue adapted to be drawn into a position toclose the fly of a shoe, means for guiding the tongue in its slidingmovement, and means for securing the same in fly closing position andpreventing accidental shifting of the tongue.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a shoe fasteningmeans which is simple of construction, inexpensive of manufacture, andquick and easy to operate.

With these and other objects in view the invention resides in thecertain novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, theessential features of which are hereinafter fully described, areparticularly pointed out in the appended claim, and

are illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is aperspective view of a shoe illustrating my invention applied thereto.

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail vertical transverse sectional view on theline 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a detail plan view of the elastic strip or tongue.

Figure 4 is a detail perspective view of one of the tubular eye membersand a coactin cylindrical member.

Reierring to the drawing by reference characters, the numeral 10designates a shoe of the oxford or low type provided with an open frontor fly 11, but instead of the opposite edges of thefly being providedwith the usual eyelet, we attach thereto a plurality of tubular eyemembers 12, the same being split lengthwise to provide a slot 13 for apurpose to be presently explained. The eye members 12 are provided withopenings 1 1 by which the same may be sewed or otherwise secured to theopposite side edges of the fly opening. These eye members are arrangedin close 1930. Serial No. 466,609.

proximity to each other, and extend along the entire side of the fly,the opposite ends being flared outwardly asat 12 F or closing the flyopening 11 we provide a flexible elastic strip or tongue 15 of a lengthand width to cover the open front or" the shoe and attached to the upperside of the elastic strip 15 are parallel rows of cylindrical members16, each of which is provided with an attaching ear or flange 17 havingopenings 18 therein by which the members may be sewed or otherwisesecured tothe strip. These members 16 are arranged in close proximity toeach other and extend in parallel rows adjacent the opposite edges ofthe strip, as best seen in Figure 3 of the drawing. The members 16 areof solid construction and have their ends rounded or beveled as at 19 soas to freely and positively slide into the rows of eye members 12.Threaded up through openings19 in the members 16 are tie strings 20which extend crosswise at the bottom of the strip to provide a loop 21.

In use, the elastic strip 15 is inserted into the fly opening so thatthe rows of cylindrical members 16 aline with the rows of the eyemembers 12 and by pulling upward upon the laces20 after through the eyemembers 12, the strip may be drawn to a position to entirely cover thefly opening 11, it being appreciated that when the strip 15 is in flyclosing position, the members 16 are disposed within the respectivetubular-eye members 12, the flanges 17 passing through the slots 18. Bythis arrangement the flexible joint'between the interengaglng elementspermits flexing of the instep without injury to the wearer while the flyopening is entirely closed to exclude dust and the like from enteringthe shoe.

After the strip 15 has been pulled to the limit of its upward movement,the lace strings 20 are inserted through eyelets or openings 22 providedin the shoe at the top of the fly opening and the free end of thestrings are knotted or tied'together. This prevents accidental slidingof the closure strip relative to the shoe. JV hen it is desired to openthe fly opening, the tie strings the same has been passed are untied andthe strip pulled downward, it being appreciated that the tie strings 20are of sufiicient length as to remain in the respective eyelets 22 ofthe shoe when the strip is in a fully pulled out position. In order toeifect a closing of the strip after having been pulled to an openposition, it is only necessary "to pull up upon thestrings until thestrip reaches its closing position, 10 whereupon the said strings aretied in the manner hereinbefore mentioned.

While we have shown and described what we deem to be the most desirableembodiment of our invention, it will be understood that 15 variouschanges in construction may be re sorted to if desired, and we do notwish to limit ourselves to anything less than the Whole of our inventionlimited only by the appended claim.

V 2; Having thus described the invention, what we claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is In a device of the characterspecified, a plurality of cylindrical members of elon- 5 gated formhaving the end portions thereof tapered, the adjacent end portions ofsaid cylindricalmembers being disposed in abutting relation, saidelongated cylindrical members being provided With laterally protojecting attaching flanges, a plurality of tubu lar members having theend portions thereof open and flared to define gradually restrictedentrance openings for the tapered reduced terminal portions of saidcylindrical Eso'members, said tubular members being provided withlongitudinal slots extending for the full length thereof for thereception of said flanges of the cylindrical members and a flexibleelement connected to said cylindri- QQ: cal members for operating thesame.

In testimony whereof We aifix our signatures.

ROBERT L. BOULET. V r WILLIAM E. BOULET.

